The Roman Catholic View of
Salvation
By Steve Rowe
April 20, 2002
“[I]f
righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
–
Galatians 3:21
“Since
they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish
their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”
- Romans 10:3
I.
A few thoughts about Roman Catholicism
a. Despite being the outgrowth
of the original Church, the modern Roman Catholic religion is a man-made
religion.
b. Their beliefs are based on
primarily on tradition with the Bible being used only as a secondary source of
inspiration.
c. Roman Catholicism is a
works-based religion. You earn your way
to heaven and are never certain of your salvation.
d. The focus is on rules, not
the person of God. Most rules are extra-Biblical.
II. Infant Baptism
a. Roman Catholic Beliefs
i.
Because of the actions of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, every
person is born in original sin. They
will go to Hell unless saved from it.
ii.
Some believe that unborn children who die go to a place called limbo
that is a place of happiness but God is not there.
iii.
Baptism removes original sin.
The child is now guiltless before God.
The child is now said to have sanctifying
grace.
iv.
With sanctifying grace come the gifts of the Spirit.
v.
The child is said to be justified.
vi.
Baptism is not a guarantee of salvation. The child still must deal with the temporal
consequences of sin including the weakness of the human nature and an
inclination to sin.
vii.
Baptism is usually done in the first few weeks of life but can be as
old as 7.
viii.
Baptism is usually done by sprinkling the child with water.
ix.
The Roman Catholic Church baptizes about 16 million children a year.
b. Biblical truth
i.
Romans 8:33 says that “It is God who justifies.”
ii.
Romans 3:22 says “This righteousness from God comes though faith in
Jesus Christ to all who believe.” A child only weeks old cannot have faith and cannot believe.
iii.
Catholics also believe the justification requires faith but calls baptism the
“sacrament of faith.”
iv.
Paul says “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the
Gospel.” – 1 Cor 1:17.
III. Adult Justification
a. Roman Catholic Beliefs
i.
If you aren’t baptized by age 7, you cannot enter a state of grace
through baptism.
ii.
Four steps are involved in adult justification:
1. Cooperation with first
actual grace
a. When God reaches out to a
person, he bestows first actual grace.
b. The sinner must then decide
if he will yield to its influence.
2. Faith -
a. After proper instruction,
the person must assent to the beliefs of the Church.
b. Instruction can take years.
3. Good Works - Must perform
good works to prepare soul for baptism.
Works include praying, fasting, loving your neighbor, obedience,
confessing doctrines of the Church, etc.
4. Baptism
a. Baptism is the instrumental
cause of justification.
b. The amount of grace injected
into the soul varies from person to person depending on God’s generosity and
the person’s preparation.
b. Biblical truth
i.
God justifies by grace, not by works
1. “Now when a man works, his
wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.” – Romans 4:4
2. “If anyone says that the
faith which justifies is nothing else but trust in the divine mercy, which
pardons sins because of Christ; or that it is that trust alone by which we are
justified: let him be anathema.” – Council
of
3. The Roman system requires
the person to earn the right to gain baptism.
4. Roman Catholics claim that
first actual grace is given so therefore the works are works of grace.
5. Unfortunately, the Bible
lists only faith as the requirement for Salvation (Romans 3:26, 3:28, 4:3, 5:1)
6. “But to the one who does not
work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as
righteousness.” – Romans 4:5
ii.
God justifies the ungodly, not the righteous
1. Man cannot submit to God
without first being saved (Romans 8:5-8).
2. Despite talk of first faith,
Roman Catholics really teach a works-based program rather than Christ.
IV.
Increasing Justification
a. Roman Catholic Beliefs
i.
A person is not saved but is in the process of being saved.
ii.
A person is placed in a state of grace by baptism but can lose it
through serious, conscious, and deliberate sin.
iii.
Actual grace is a supernatural assistance to do good
and avoid evil.
iv.
Actual grace must be continually replenished by participating in the
sacraments. The sacraments contain grace
in proportion to preparation.
v.
The sacraments are:
1. Baptism
2. Penance
3. Eucharist (Communion)
4. Confirmation
5. Matrimony
6. Holy Orders (Ordination)
7. Extreme Unction (Anointing
of the sick)
vi.
Sacramentals help Catholics prepare for sacraments. They include crucifixes, stations
of the cross, miraculous medals, observing holy days, the sign of the
cross, etc.
vii.
Performance of good works (obedience, charity, self-denial, etc.) earns
a reward from God called merit. Merit
can merit an increase of sanctifying grace or other blessings. Merit also can pay off time spent in
purgatory (temporal punishment).
viii.
Grace inspires the mind and strengthens the will. This is the process of sanctification.
b. Biblical truth
i.
Biblical grace is undeserved favor, not merited payment. “[I]f by grace, then it is no longer by
works, if it were, grace would no longer be grace.” –
Romans 11:6.
ii.
In the Catholic system, grace becomes the medium of exchange in the
Church’s merit system.
iii.
Grace is not dispensed like candy from a vending machine. God gave his son over to death so that we
could be free from the law. Why would he
then place sacraments between Himself and his children. The God of the Bible wants a relationship,
not a ritual.
iv.
The Church insists that there are exactly 7 sacraments and that they
were established by Christ yet they don’t really appear in the Bible.
v.
The Bible says that justification in Christ is complete. It is a one-time act, not a process. “In Him you have been made complete” –
Colossians 2:10.
vi.
Biblical Sanctification is the process of working out our salvation—of
becoming more Christ-like in preparation for our time with him in heaven.
vii.
The Catholic Church confuses the two.
V. Re-justification
a. Roman Catholic Beliefs
i.
Two sorts of sin:
1. Mortal sin kills the soul
and, unrepented, brings eternal punishment. Mortal sin cancels justification (state of
grace) and merit. Mortal sin includes
unbelief, hatred of our neighbor, adultery, serious theft, murder, etc. It is like a mortal blow, without
intervention, the body will die.
2. Venial sin is minor
sin. They do not cause a loss of
justification. Rather, they weaken the
person’s spiritual vitality and make them susceptible to greater sin. Venial sin is like a minor sickness. The body will eventually recover.
ii.
The sacrament of penance is payment for mortal sin and restoration of
sanctifying grace. It involves:
1. Confession of sin
2. Contrition of the sinner
3. Judgment by the priest
4. Absolution by the priest
5. Penance by the sinner
(fasting, charitable gifts, self-denial, service to neighbors, devotional
exercises, etc.)
iii.
The Church wants people to go to confession at least once a year.
iv.
Sin has two consequences:
eternal (loss of salvation) and temporal (more than just natural
consequences – paid for by penance or purgatory)
b. Biblical truth
i.
Biblical confession is to God directly, not to a priest. (1 John 2:1-2)
ii.
Biblical satisfaction for sin is Christ’s blood, not human
actions. “He himself is the propitiation
for our sins” – 1 John 2:2.
iii.
The Bible does not differentiate venial and mortal sins. In the Catholic religion, consistent practice
of venial sins does not lead to death.
Yet, the Bible says that “No one who is born of God practices sin.” – 1
John 3:9.
VI.
Final Destiny
a. Roman Catholic Beliefs
i.
Roman Catholics (even the Pope!) cannot know their final destination
until death.
ii.
Particular judgment is God judging the individual. The person must be in a state of grace at the
time of death. If not, they will go on
to eternal punishment.
iii.
If the person has not paid sufficient temporal punishment for their
mortal and venial sins, they will spend time in purgatory.
iv.
You can pay for the sins of the dead and help them move more quickly
out of purgatory.
1. Can do meritorious acts like
saying prayers, giving alms, and performing good works.
2. The most effective form is
to ask the priest to say Mass for the person (accompanied by paying some
money).
3. Specific acts of piety can
result in indulgences. A person can
spend an indulgence on his own temporal punishment or on the account of someone
who died.
4. The Pope prays for the two
previous Popes to help them through purgatory (!!).
v.
General judgment happens at the return of Christ. At the time, the degree of their reward in
heaven is determined.
b. Biblical truth
i.
Purgatory is a construction of “Reason Alone” – Dogmatic Theology for
the Laity.
ii.
Eternal life is a free gift.
(Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9).
iii.
Catholics believe we can merit heaven (see quotes on pp. 101 and 103)
iv.
Biblical justification is permanent (Romans 8:30, 38-39). Once we are saved, we are predestined to
inherit the kingdom of heaven.
v.
The entire book of Galatians condemns those who try to add works into
God’s plan of salvation.
Books:
The Gospel According to